Greg Allen: Why is God such a threat?

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe there's a God, but a few don't. Why? It would seem their logic is consumed by the notion of self, and anything contrary to that is but a threat.

Greg Allen

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe there's a God, but a few don't. Why? It would seem their logic is consumed by the notion of self, and anything contrary to that is but a threat.

For quite some time, Gallup has been conducting a poll asking if Americans believe there’s a God. In 1944, 96 percent of the population believed in a divine being. In 1947 it was 94 percent. In the ‘50s and ‘60s it got as high as 98 percent. Today it’s at 93 percent.

That remaining 7 percent are sprinkled about society, yet some have leveraged themselves to a position of influence - be it in politics, education or the film industry. There's a fine line between education, leadership or entertainment and that of indoctrination.

Indoctrinate the youth with similar belief stands etched upon their standard because adults are much more difficult to sway.

When one of our girls was a freshman in high school she was required to watch a film called “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” I sent a note to the teacher stating: “I won’t allow my child to watch such a film. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, not death, and if you can't distinguish the difference you have my pity.” The parents of three other children forbid their kids from watching the film, too. The teacher later sent us a note to say: “I didn't think anyone would mind.” (That's the problem, now isn’t it? Those of like thought assume no one pays attention.)

My wife and I recently watched a free viewing of “Happy Feet 2.”One would think it’s a kids cartoon about penguins, but the makers went out of their way to weave a premise in the film. The cartoon has an intentional message.

Global warming was melting the polar ice caps in the cartoon. There was a scene where an oil rig was on fire in the ocean and penguins were floating in oil. Humans tried to nurse a couple of the birds back to health, but the penguins realized they must save themselves and escaped. In another scene three or four polar bears were frantically trying to cling to what’s left of a small chunk of ice afloat in the water.

In the film, the ice shifts and traps the entire population of emperor penguins at the North Pole. The penguins eventually get the attention of humans on a passing freighter, and they try to help the birds, but the weather turns and man abandons them to perish. In the end, nature rescues itself.

Some in society believe we are gods, while others think nature is. Every animal, bird, fish, plant, insect, etc., is a god.

Recently, the parents at a Massachusetts elementary school became furious when a popular Lee Greenwood song, “God bless the USA,” was scratched from a concert. At first, school officials wanted to change the lyrics of the song to “We love the USA.” After parents started complaining, the officials removed the song from the school assembly concert altogether.

Mr. Greenwood later heard of the school’s maneuver and said: “The most important word in the whole piece of music is the word God. If the school would have asked me I would have said you can’t change any part of the song.”

A few years back a single atheist relied upon the services of the ACLU to help him have a granite marker of the Ten Commandments removed from the courthouse lawn in a nearby county. The county commissioners said they couldn't afford a legal fight and removed the piece. The community was outraged that a single person could accomplish such a task and revolted against the atheist - someone said he left town.

The Ten Commandments are just a bunch of dusty old rules to the ACLU.

Some want to remove God from everything, but if God’s so mythical as they perceive, why stop there? Why not ban the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus or Peter Pan?

Never let anyone steal what you believe. Shirk that shame others may try to invoke. For none hold a monopoly on one's thoughts, although some may wanna horde those pieces on the board.

Greg Allen’s column is published bi-monthly. He’s an author, nationally syndicated columnist and the founder of Builder of the Spirit in Jamestown, Ind., a nonprofit organization aiding the poor. He can be reached at 765-676-5014 or www.builderofthespirit.org.

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